Former Senate President, Pius Anyim; ex-governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Wamakko; and several former deputy governors across the country on Wednesdayexpressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing economic reforms, describing them as critical steps toward national growth and self-reliance.
They pledged their support to Tinubu during the 4th National Conference of the Forum of Former Deputy Governors of Nigeria, held in Abuja.
The two-day conference was chaired by Anyim and declared open by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Alhaji Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, who represented Wamakko.
The Forum, in a a communiqué issued at the end of the event, commended the Federal Government’s ongoing economic and infrastructural reforms, noting that they align with the President’s “Nigeria First” policy.
“We commended the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts at economic reform and infrastructural renewal aimed at enhancing national productivity and self-reliance, and specially commends President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the Nigeria First policy,” the communiqué stated.
In May, Federal Government said it will begin assessing the performance of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies based on their compliance with the Nigeria First Policy, which prioritises patronage of locally made goods and services.
The former deputy governors urged the government to strengthen mechanisms that promote sustainable growth, inclusive prosperity, and genuine self-reliance.
They also called for the revival of local industries, diversification into agro-industrialisation, and the prioritisation of small and medium-scale enterprises as the backbone of job creation and economic development.
The Forum further recommended that governments at all levels entrench policy continuity through legislation, sustain infrastructural transformation—particularly in roads and power—and invest in education, healthcare, and vocational training.
Other resolutions included calls for the reactivation of moribund cocoa grinding plants, revitalisation of the textile industry, enforcement of the use of made-in-Nigeria fabrics in schools, and the procurement of 100 million cocoa seedlings to boost employment and foreign exchange earnings.
Since assuming office in May 2023, Tinubu has embarked on a series of sweeping economic measures, including the removal of fuel subsidy, unification of the foreign exchange rate, tax reform, and renewed emphasis on local production.
The Federal Government in October pledged to launch a national campaign to promote Made-in-Nigeria goods and services under the Nigeria First policy as part of efforts to revitalise the manufacturing sector.
